Fuse Gears Up For E-Sports Music Sponsorship

Fuse will serve as the official music sponsor for the October ESL One New York 2016 E-Sports tournament, the network said Friday.

As part of the sponsorship with ESL, which will host the Oct. 1-2 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y., the network will present electronic dance music duo Krewella at the tournament, according to network officials.

Fuse will offer event coverage throughout the weekend of the tournament featuring exclusive video interviews with e-sports participants as well as celebrities attending the tournament.  Fuse will also produce and premiere an e-sports themed special coming out of ESL One with more details to be announced soon.

“This partnership is an incredible opportunity for Fuse to enter the esports arena and connect with players and fans, and to bring our audience a glimpse into a sport that is growing exponentially in popularity,” said Fuse Media President & CEO Michael Schwimmer in a statement.  “Gaming culture resonates deeply with our core multicultural, millennial audience, and ESL One New York 2016 is the perfect entry point for us as we enter this space.”

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.